Trinamool Congress hit by resignations, Mamata Banerjee backs Abhishek Banerjee

The Trinamool Congress (TMC) has been rocked by a series of high‑profile resignations following its decisive defeat in the West Bengal Assembly election. Actress‑turned‑politician Koel Mallick quit the Rajya Sabha after only three months, becoming the fourth TMC MP to resign; her departure was followed by meetings with Union Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav, fueling speculation of a switch to the BJP. MLA Madan Mitra, a close aide of chief minister Mamata Banerjee, also left the party, alleging that the leadership favoured nephew Abhishek Banerjee over organisational strengthening. Former minister Manish Gupta and other senior figures have similarly exited, reducing TMC’s strength in the Upper House to nine seats.

Amid the exodus, Mamata Banerjee publicly defended Abhishek Banerjee, describing the resignations as driven by fear of investigative agencies and accusing the BJP of using police and the Enforcement Directorate to engineer defections. She apologized to supporters on behalf of the “traitors” and vowed to rebuild the party from the ground up. The internal turmoil has intensified the BJP’s foothold in West Bengal and raised questions about the future of the TMC’s political relevance.